Will Congress get earful back home?

August 11, 2011|By William E. Gibson, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The public is in a foul mood, and the congressional approval rating in one nationwide poll is down to 14 percent. But most South Florida members who returned home this week are unlikely to face an uprising.

That's because most are returning to safe Republican or Democratic districts where residents think much the way they do.

It's the old `I-hate-Congress-but-I-love-my-member' phenomenon.

Sophisticated gerrymandering has put like-minded people together into solid liberal or conservative bastions. That's one reason we end up with a polarized Congress with members who talk past each other and never compromise.

"People perceive the institution as bad, but they perceive you (individual member) as representing them effectively," observed Kevin Wagner, a political scientist at Florida Atlantic University. "If you come from a very liberal district or a very conservative district, there's no reward for compromise. In fact, there's punishment for it."

"In Washington, everybody might be angry with you or think you are obstructionist. But within your district -- especially the part that is the source of your election -- nobody is terribly unhappy with you and wish more people would listen to you."

Of course, all it takes is a few vocal people to disrupt a congressional town-hall meeting. So some members may run into angry confrontations.

A few districts  notably the 22nd along the coast of Broward and Palm Beach County  can swing from party to party. The 22nd is represented by Allen West, a Republican from Plantation, who wrested the seat from Democrat Ron Klein in 2010, who wrested it from Republican Clay Shaw in 2006.

West, who does not shy away from controversy, will be holding town hall meetings this month in each county.

The first is on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church, 1901 E. Commercial Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale. The second is set for Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Burns Road Recreational Center, 4404 Burns Road, in Palm Beach Gardens.

West has riled Democrats in his district with his caustic criticism of President Obama and his conservative positions. He also upset some backers in the tea party movement by promoting House Speaker John Boehner's proposed bill to raise the debt ceiling.

West thinks Congress should not be taking its customary August break amid the financial crisis and widespread unemployment.

"While I'm back here working in our district, the American perception is that we're on vacation," West said. "I came from an organization (U.S. Army) where you didn't go home until the mission was complete."